If I Could See You Again
by MangoRamune
Summary: An idyllic day for Gatomon, spent looking at the changes since the last battle, and dreaming of the one person she wishes could see the world they made. One shot clean resubmission. Reviews welcome.


_If I could see you again… _

Gatomon stirred from her dreams, and came back to the waking world. It was a charming place where the late morning sun filtered through curtains the color of cream, and washed the whole room in warm, diffused light; where the smell of late spring wafted in from the open window and mingled with the scent of plumeria that permeated Kari's room. It was peaceful and quiet, and Gatomon's only company were the books lining the shelf and the paper balls in the trash can, filled with Kari's discarded ideas for lesson plans and field trips.

She rolled in the warm spot she had created for herself in the nook between the wall and the pillows, and looked down at her gloved paws. Secure that no one was around to see, she slid them off and looked at her scars. She had long since ceased to feel the sting of her past; her present was simply too cozy for it to weigh on her anymore. The pain and hate she had always associated with the scars…the fear of Myotismon… the nightmares about him… They were gone. She felt nothing for any of it anymore.

She slid the gloves back on and rose with a languid stretch to go to the windowsill, where she immediately curled up again. She was not curious about the world around her. In the several years since the last battle, life had marched on.

In the nearby school, Kari would be busy with her kindergarten teacher internship. Somewhere closer to the heart of the city, Davis would be energetic again today, though hopefully he wouldn't break anymore fingers working on his noodle cart. Yolei and Ken would be planning their wedding, much to the envy of their digimon, who weren't allowed to help on account of simply not knowing enough about weddings. Sora would be studying ikebana under her mother… or maybe today would be a day for working on her kimono-based fashion line. If so, Mimi would be around to lend Sora her knowledge of the fashion world. If not, Mimi would probably be holed up in her kitchen with Palmon on a sugary journey for excellent cakes, pastries, parfaits, and other desserts to put in her cookbook. Cody would be attending his college classes with the utmost seriousness, and perhaps he would pay a visit to Oikawa's grave later in the day. Matt had received some kind of epiphany about what he wanted to do with his life, but he hadn't revealed it to anyone but Gabumon yet, and they would be spending today strength training again. Tai would be in the digital world with Agumon, boldly exploring the farthest reaches where no humans had tread before, and Izzy would be with him, doing his best to learn everything he possibly could about the digital world. Jyou would still be attending medical school, but he might break away to go to Primary village, where he was hoping to gain a grasp on digimon's health and growth so he could become a digimon doctor. And last but not least, T.K. and Patamon…

Well, she could hear them. They were in an apartment on a higher floor, their windows wide open, and the tireless tapping of T.K.'s fingers on his computer was as obvious as Patamon's energetic recollections. Today, for as long as they had spare time, they would be working on their book, detailing the full adventure of the digidestined. Sometimes she listened to them at night, going over small details and calling the others for information. They were early on in the tale, and it was interesting, if a little enviable, to hear what it was like before she met them. Someday, they would come to ask her about her experiences, and she was happy to think it wouldn't open any old wounds to answer them.

She was purring when she drifted off again under the late spring sun, and sank back into the world of her dreams, where the only thing she truly missed greeted her.

_If I could see you again…_

His gloved hand rested between her ears, just like always. It was the same dream she always had; sad, because it ended, but just as warm and welcoming as the waking world. She didn't will herself into this dream. It came as certainly as the sun, and as frequently as summer rain, and seemed to last for eternity now that she was aware of it as a dream.

She never said anything to Wizardmon. She hadn't during the first few experiences with the dream when she had no control, and she feared that if she did anything differently, it would end. She was content to float in the creamy light until, like a rough sketch on a drawing pad, the beginnings of a tree on a hill appeared. It wasn't until they sat beneath it that value and color bloomed in every leaf, and spread into the rest of the world. Together beneath that tree, they watched a pastel world pass them by, from the seeds of creation to the explosion of the final star; from singularity to singularity and back again, between which were silver eclipses only visible in the depths of the sea and white tigers that brought rains to dusty pyramids; fields of copper-colored wheat that played the sultry notes of string instruments every time they swayed, and flocks of flying flowers that dived between clouds like dolphins playing in the spray, creating hard-to-follow patterns in the sky.

The surrealism of the dream never failed to impress her. Her nightmares of Myotismon had been relatively straightforward as dreams went. He had been a looming, horrific shadow over her, and she had never been able to outrun it. His voice had come from everywhere, never failing to pop up even in her pleasant dreams, just to torment her. When she didn't dream this dream…things were plain, more like memories overlapping than anything else. She dreamed of old adventures…of Kari.

As much as she loved being able to sit with her friend and watch these dream-images pass, and as afraid as she was of disturbing it, the longer it lasted, the more she wanted to say something to him, regardless of the risk. If she could find just the right thing to say... She wanted to tell him that his death hadn't been in vain. They had created a world where digimon and humans were slowly integrating into each other's lives. She wanted him to know that Kari, the partner he'd led her to, was growing up in pursuit of wonderful dreams. She wanted to talk with him, like she had never been able to when her heart was sealed behind frozen walls. She wanted to be friends with him again…for just a second.

But she understood this was a dream; an idyllic one, where realistically he would probably answer her how her mind wanted him to answer.

Perhaps he had sensed her turmoil, because he was looking at her. There, for the first time in hundreds of dreams, he turned away from their view, and the all-too-real look of concern in his eyes overcame her fears.

She thanked him, again and again and again; a thousand times over. For being the only light she had when all she knew was Myotismon's darkness; for leading her, initially against her will, closer to Kari and her original purpose; for protecting her and being the truest friend she'd ever had.

To her surprise, he responded.

"You're not crying." He reached out. She was expecting his hand to land softly on her head, but he ruffled her ears energetically. "You've grown strong."

The imagines in the distances began to fade away. Panic touched her, but couldn't take hold of her. In fact, she was strangely relaxed, almost dozing off within the dream. She fought her slowly closing eyes.

"I missed you…"

He nodded. "Me too. But you don't need me anymore." He clasped her paw. "I was the one you could trust. You have many people like that now."

"What about you…?"

"You saved me. I was there to save you. Now it's time for me to finish my journey."

That's right. He was on a journey when they met… The world continued to fade out from the edges. She leaned into the folds of his cloak, and she struggled to keep her eyes on him. Her voice came out in a sleepy whisper.

"Never forget you… Kari too… All of them… Never forget…"

Her eyes closed, and his voice seemed to come from far, far away. "Thank you, Gatomon."

He was leaving, and she couldn't say goodbye. Tears welled in her eyes, but her sleepiness continued to hold her down. It was the touch of dream grass, surprisingly real on her whiskers, that tickled her awake. On instinct, she reached for her tail ring and threw it after him.

"Don't forget me…"

Gatomon stirred from her dreams, and came back to the waking world. It was a charming place where the afternoon sun bathed the world in bright, carefree light; where young children played with their digimon partners and the irrepressible energy of a young writer and his Patamon filled the ambiance with typing and chatter. It was a place of happiness, where a digimon could spend her day sleeping and reminiscing in peace.

"Gatomon!"

Kari waved from below, skidding to a stop on her bike with a basket full of groceries. Above, the typing came to an abrupt halt, and T.K. leaned his head out of the window.

"Hey, Kari! I just finished the Devimon arc! Wanna go out for dinner to celebrate?"

"Sure! Let me just change shoes! Gatomon, grab the door for me please!"

Gatomon chuckled a little and hopped to the bedroom floor. Something was different… She looked back at her tail.

Her tail ring was gone.

_If I could see you again, I would tell you that I no longer need you just to keep pushing forward. I would tell you that I found my way, because you took the time to stay by my side when I was lost. I miss you, but you have gone your own way, and I know you will never forget me. _

_My strength is your strength, wherever you are._


End file.
